The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for using an apparatus, which apparatus can be used in particular in an industrial automation process which can be performed by an automation system, for example, but need not necessarily be performed by such a system.
An automation system can comprise at least one apparatus having a machine part/apparatus part, for instance an apparatus such as a screw-fastening tool having a power screwdriver output, a riveting device having a riveting tool, a welding apparatus having a welding gun, a drive control system comprising a servomotor and the like. For safety or liability reasons, only authorized users are allowed to use the functions of the machine parts/apparatus parts. For example, an apprentice is permitted to use a power screwdriver but is not yet authorized to operate a welding apparatus alone, for instance. It is also possible that a department manager is allowed to reconfigure an apparatus in the automation system but a normal technician is permitted to access only the apparatus functions. It may also be the case that only a specific employee at the factory is authorized to perform maintenance on the apparatus in the automation system.
In order to take into account different authorizations of this type in using the apparatus of the automation system, it is necessary to check the authorization of the user of the apparatus before the apparatus is used.
One option for checking the authorization to use the apparatus would be by entering a password at the apparatus. This involves time-consuming password administration, however. In addition, there may be a high rate of errors because passwords are repeatedly forgotten or hacked by third parties, meaning that arrangements to address these problems must be made. Furthermore, recovering a password causes delays in performing the work.
Another possible option as an alternative solution would be to check codes at the apparatus. This would require, for instance, an optical scanner (e.g. for a barcode or matrix code) and a scannable document, however, making it more difficult and more expensive to check an authorization of the user to access the apparatus.
Both options of entering a password or scanning a code are very time-consuming for the apparatus user, however. If the user then also frequently changes position to work at different apparatuses in the automation system, constantly entering or reading the authorization becomes impractical and unacceptable for the user.